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Friday, May 9, 2008

Animal Collective - Water Curses EP

I have courted a long time love for Animal Collective. In fact, if I was forced to pick only one band as my favorite band of all time, it would be them. Last years Strawberry Jam was a hit and a half. I loved it, but I was simultaneously a little bored with it. Not really bored as in alt country bored, but bored when listening compared to listening to their past releases. Don't get me wrong, I loved Strawberry Jam. I loved that they were moving in new directions, but I sure was hoping that they weren't going to stay that way forever or go any further in that direction (like some bands tend to do once they get to the point of pop opportunity, such as Modest Mouse, Weezer and the likes). AC's progress has been something to behold from their earliest releases to the present. They are a forever morphing band. It's that freshness that keeps them so interesting. Water Curses is a new EP with four of the freshest songs you will ever audibly drink of. They still have some of that level of pop accessibility that was on StrawberryJam but the tracks seems to draw heavier comparisons to Feels, but don't really fit onto either.The tracks are a little bit slower and less dancey and have more experimentation and inspiration from the world music phenomenon. Opening hit, "Water Curses" is a polka-esque, whale mating, dance pop in the Alps jam. "Street Flash" is a hauntingly echoed melody heavy slow jam that is followed by the similarly vibed, Jetsons sound effects and Eastern instrument filled "Cobwebs." The album is wrapped up with "Seal Eyeing" another slow bubbly underwater type of song filled with piano and vocals reminiscent of Avey and Kria's beautiful backward escapade of last year. The songs are wonderful, but what is even more wonderful is that this EP proves that there is still a lot more creation and innovation to be expected from the band in the years to come and they thoroughly search all regions of influence and musical creativity in order to always be producing the most interesting music around.